Mirans (1977)

An educational game in which players race to "make the perilous journey north from slavery to freedom on The Underground Railroad" avoiding dangers along the way.

Comments

Played once when friends got it at a garage sale...

A wonderful lightweight filler.

Casero. Still a good, uncomplicated but interesting race game. I love the interaction during both phases, where you can bluff people you won't give up or you will give up. My rating is based only on that.

The Lotto Edge (1994)

Information

Category

DiceWargame

Mechanic

Hex-and-Counter

Description

Before the race starts choose the setup of your car and the driver abilities guessing the right tires and the best engine setup to beat other players. Three rows are added to each side of a regulation board to allow for four complete sets of chessmen in different colors. Choose which pair of X-Men - each with an extra ability - will form your team. Some of these Events involve calculation; others require negotiation with another player; while some require you to chance fate and test yourself against the Gods.

Comments

Missing pieces :( It is really fun to play! Had a bunch of fun playing with my three kids (ages 8-12). Plus, other players can affect your planned moves before your turn comes again. And collecting the "blood" of evil mutants?

One of the few games I've had since my childhood.

Played four times. To much to setup for an easy game. The possibilities seemed almost endless.

Fun Will Regensburg Elusive Game Expansion Set (2010)

Information

Category

Card GameChildren's GameHorrorWargame

Mechanic

Action Point Allowance SystemDice RollingHand Management

Description

Panguingue (pan-ginn'-gay), or "Pan", is a popular rummy game in the Western part of the United States. From the box:

Comments

A great game in its own right. I do like mixing and matching all the different factions and seeing the synergies play out between them.

Probably my favorite of FF's LCGs. Good theme applying to the game.

Owned by friend. The artwork is wonderful, I love the theme, but without another person who feels interested enough to build a deck to compete with, the fun factor diminishes for me. Mehcanically it can be a bit clunky if you don't know the system well, but once you do the game is fantastic.

AdvVLE, the best grand-tactical napoleonic game! Interesting and relevant decisions to make and the card art is excellent in terms of the theme. Not having random distribution means you can't play traditional drafts - but you can just create a card pool and do a draft from that. Plus the design seems a little "old-hat" since the goldrush that was deckbuilding games hit the market... As a card game CoC is luck driven and there's possibility for a deadlock. Always have it available if only 2 people show up to game night or whatever. That having said I enjoy the theme. You cannot play this fast, and with equal skill and deck, the game can stall very loooong time. And the second time, it was better. Dave: ....

Gerkydde (1973)

Information

Category

FantasyAbstract StrategyFightingWord

Mechanic

SimulationTile Placement

Description

To the Green Fields Beyond is an operational simulation of the Battle of Cambrai, 1917, the first great tank battle in history. As each player rolls during his/her turn, the player is looking to score points, in the form of sets. Designed to introduce a novice wargamer to conflict simulation, these games rely on familiar mechanics from other games you may have played to allow players to focus on strategy instead of learning new rules. That is a delusion.

Comments

Similar king-of-the-hill endgame problem as U.S. The 9 is for bad marketing, all things HS rock! * I would have preferred either a 3-figure squad or 3 defense or 0 attack. Could have been a good game if design stuck to the Darkover theme. The gladiators are tournament worthy, though Spartacus is overcosted until we get a few more gladiators. Both players chant something inane of choice for 30 seconds, first one to break down laughing or looks away loses. Finally, I'm glad there are more female characters, and those who complain of injecting so-called "political correctness" into the game should just relax. It shows how the game stands the test of time!

Statew (2010)

Information

Category

Wargame

Mechanic

Auction/BiddingSet Collection

Description

From the Publisher's Website: Länderbahnen covers the historical formation of the German Railways in 1835 through German unification in 1871. You can move 2 or 3 spaces containing one right hand turn, and you can pick up the last tile you move off. A new variant game with a new map, pitting Houses Stark, Lannister, Greyjoy, and Baratheon against one another for control of King's Landing and the Riverlands. This led in the second half of the 18th century to many undecided battles which could have been won with a little initiative.

Comments

Kept with Wits and Wagers Family. I love the leaders token, the tactic cards and the ally decks - actually I love it all. I think I like that Eddard Stark is in Lannister hands at the beginning of the game. The Westeros cards both boost the power of the special tokens, particularly the Raven and the Iron Throne, which both were decidedly less useful than the Sword. :(
In fact I'm not going to get this game, if I don't get a good offer. May be time to revisit this game. He who is not messed with by the other three players will win. The game continues until all of the cities are controlled by grouping railways, and then the cash is tallied, the most money wins. On the plus side it is much more dynamic than the original, and the lack of ships is surprisingly refreshing. Don't hesitate to use the new Westeros cards in place of the originals: the choice cards make being at the top of the Influence tracks even more meaningful. It's also nice to have the option of something similar enough to classic A Game of Thrones that can be played with only four. As a fan of the original I'm pleased to have this expansion though I cannot agree in any way that the four player is superior to the original five player. The game does have its downsides: it is a touch fiddly to calculate the income for instance, and it must be recalculated each round because fresh track comes into it. The game is also a bit on the long side, and seems to run in the 3 hour or so window, which seems a bit longer than the decisions involved here warrant.

Christmas present from the Wilkinsons. Have not yet played. The tactics and leaders really bring something to the base game as well. Some are designed specifically for just the original game which are nice. Takes ships out of the equasion. Harder to take neutral cities: good. In Laenderbahnen the groups are completely player determined, which adds an interesting nuance to the game. The game continues until all of the cities are controlled by grouping railways, and then the cash is tallied, the most money wins. It worked out pretty well.

Dion.

Cubeword Chess Score (1982)

Information

Category

Animals

Mechanic

Dice RollingHand ManagementSimulation

Description

In this Go-inspired chess variant, players place any one of their pieces on any empty space on the board. A player must design his deck from the cards available for his side (a pool of over one hundred), with a minimum selection of 36 of them. The player whose turn it is picks up one tile, looks at it and places it face-down on one square of his/her board, claiming it is on a matching animal. Through participation and discussion, students achieve an intuitive understanding of some of the fundamental areas of wildlife management and have fun in the process.

Comments

Can be fun with the right people, you just need a lot of them. The art is fun, and well done, obviously they had fun creating this game.

Embrace on Game Run United The Dragonwand of Krynn

Information

Category

Card GameDiceTravelTrivia

Mechanic

Dice Rolling

Description

Grabbage is a card game where 2 or more groups of people try to obtain 4 of a kind in a deck of cards. True to its name, the game takes place on a map of Germany.

Comments

A great light game which employs it's theme very well. The game is quick and random enough to be considered as a lighthearted filler. But now I can't stop thinking about it and have had to resist the impulse to buy it. I look forward to another try.

A great light game which employs it's theme very well. Played as both sides now. Guess i have to cancel my work on that game OR rethink alot =)
Now i need to really check out this game! And if you spend alot of time determining that as an initiate, it can give away your proximity to the nuns. There's the tension, the mystery, and the chance for your friend to give your perfect position away... However, the game plays significantly different as you don't need to be as conservative with your moves. There's also the possibility that players will make a mistake and move incorrectly...and it won't get noticed. I'm happy to report it was good enough to not shy away from anymore. That said, it is a fun game, but something I'd have to be in the right mood to play. As a game explainer on this one, you have to take your time and be very clear since during the game you won't be able to correct any misplayed rules since everything is hidden. But overall a great and very funny game! (3+0+2) (2 plays)

I think the rules are poorly written. But it gets easy once you got some idea.... Seems very hard for the player doing the searching.

Wissayalls

Information

Category

EducationalAbstract Strategy

Mechanic

Hand Management

Description

Word game with 3 levels of difficulty.

Comments

Decent large group game. Not for the dim.

This is a fun immersion game.

Always enjoyed playing this. The definitions aren't well defined.

Sold Nov-07.

Poerld (2010)

Information

Category

Card GameScience FictionAbstract StrategyWargame

Mechanic

Hand ManagementRole PlayingVoting

Description

In Star Trek: The Adventure Game, you send forth a starship, exploring unknown planets across the immense distances of space. It's a solo zombie survival game. Solo play is also possible. Each ship has an individual hit table, on which damage is recorded. Watersdown Mansion is an old, elegant stone building situated in Yorkshire, England, and constructed in 1817. Http://www.telefonica.net/web2/ludomagazine. Upon reaching a planet, you choose a course of action, and learn from a special booklet how the planet and its inhabitants react to you.

Comments

It does okay at capturing the feel of the early re-imagined series, but game play is dreadful. Thankfully no nose or forehead ridges!

Fracking brilliant.

Rules were confusing. For one, it's a bit slow with two, but mostly I think that the abitrary and random nature of the game would be less infuriating in a non-competitive environment. Download the optional rules from Avalanche's site. Especially towards the end the right dice roll decides a lot when you get to deliver the last good of any type.

This document (source) is part of Crummy, the webspace of Leonard Richardson (contact information). It was last modified on Tuesday, August 09 2011, 22:54:28 Nowhere Standard Time and last built on Friday, August 18 2017, 05:05:02 Nowhere Standard Time.